Introduction to approaching a paper topic and using some of the basic services provided by the Rutgers University Libraries. Includes videos and exercises to build your research awareness. More videos at http://libguides.rutgers.edu/videos.

Mission and Goals for English 102

Course Mission Statement

In the transition from high school/general reading and writing to scholarly/academic reading and writing, undergraduate students require a basic knowledge of scholarly sources for secondary research. The library sessions in English 102 provide you with an introduction to the resources of the Rutgers University Libraries as well as to methods of searching, evaluation of information sources, and MLA citation style. For many undergraduates this is the only formal introduction to scholarly library research you will receive at Rutgers-Newark, and you can use what you learn here in many of your other classes as well.

Outcome Goals

After this class, you will be able to:

Find books in the Rutgers system.

Find scholarly articles and other credible sources.

Evaluate information sources.

Prepare a quick bibliography in MLA style.

Missions and Standards Addressed

1. Support of University mission:

providing for the instructional needs of New Jersey’s citizens through its undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education programs

2. Support of Campus mission:

The academic mission of Rutgers University in Newark is to provide a first-rate education to an exceptionally diverse community of undergraduates and graduate students.

3. Association of College and Research Libraries.ACRL Framework forInformation Literacy for Higher Education (http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/ilframework)

Frame 4: Research as Inquiry

Research is iterative and depends upon asking increasingly complex or new questions whose answers in turn develop additional questions or lines of inquiry in any field.

Searching for information is often nonlinear and iterative, requiring the evaluation of a range of information sources and the mental flexibility to pursue alternate avenues as new understanding develops.

4. Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Characteristics of Excellence in Higher Education: Requirements of Affiliation and Standards for Accreditation, [Online Version updated March 2009 at http://www.msche.org/publications/CHX06_Aug08REVMarch09.pdf ](p.42).

The document states that "information literacy is an essential component of any educational program at the graduate or undergraduate levels." Applicable skills on the Middle States list include the ability to: